Military branches have struck NIL deals. Service academy athletes still can’t.

In September, Paige Bueckers, star guard for the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team, used back-to-back Instagram posts to recap her trip to Fort Knox. While at the military base in Kentucky, Bueckers spent time with cadets in summer training. She learned about their experiences — experiences far different from her own — during a walk through the woods. She even tried on a gas mask that might be used in combat.

The visit — and the resulting social media content, shared with her more than 1 million followers — was part of Bueckers’s name, image and likeness deal with GoArmy, the U.S. Army’s recruiting arm. It was believed to be the first time a college athlete signed an NIL partnership with a military branch. Then, in October, the Marines ran a campaign with eight college football players, including Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, Georgia running back Kendall Milton and UCLA quarterback Chase Griffin.